Inside The Games: Olympic discus champion auction raises funds for Paralympic swimmer

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February 5 – Olympic discus champion Robert Harting has raised more than €7,000 to help support Paralympic swimmer Daniela Schulte after auctioning more than 40 pieces of his personal clothing and memorabilia from London 2012. 

The German sold off a total of 35 items of clothing on the auction site Ebay, including vests, shirts, official practice kit and bags he received as part of his allocation for the Olympics.

The most popular item was Harting’s sweatshirt, which had 36 bids and was sold for €261 (£226/$355).

His tee-shirt, which was XXXL, got 35 bids and earned €265 (£230/$360).

The item in the auction which raised the most was the bedspread that was in Harting’s room at the Olympic Village, which attracted 17 bids and was eventually sold for €516 (£448/$701).

Other items auctioned included five pairs of competition shoes custom-made for Harting by Nike.

He raised a total €7,118.91 (£6,177.90/$9,673.95)

“I am happy if I can help,” said Harting.

“In sport there should be justice.

“Daniela Schulte and her Berlin swim team work just as hard as do, but get no recognition. “

Schulte, who has suffered from a genetic visual impairment since she was nine, carried Germany’s flag at the Opening Ceremony of the Paralympics in London.

She then won gold medal in the S11 400 metres freestyle event and a silver medal in the SM11 200m individual medley.

But the 30-year-old confided to Harting at a recent awards ceremony in Berlin that she did not know whether she could continue until Rio 2016 because it cost so much to train.

“The money will really help our training group,” said Schulte.

“There should be a lot more athletes like Robert who realise that athletes with disabilities work just as hard as they do.

“We are incredibly grateful for his very generous gesture.”

By Duncan Mackay

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